The shamanic journey is a practice common to all indigenous societies throughout history. By listening to a drumbeat or other rhythmic percussion, the shaman enters "non-ordinary" reality; an altered state of consciousness beyond time and space to access spiritual guidance and healing, assist others and the planet, and reconnect with the cycles of nature. Shamanic Journeying offers readers an interactive learning experience to discover how to journey, just as traditional shamans have for centuries. With the instruction in this book and the accompanying CD, internationally respected teacher Sandra Ingerman illuminates:
-The original role of the shaman in indigenous cultures
-How to meet and work with your "power animals" and other spirit guides
-How to navigate the Lower World, Upper World, and Middle World
-The three divisions of unseen reality
-The keys to successful journeying in our modern culture.

Excerpt:

Shamanic Journeying: The Three Worlds

According to the shamanic view, there is an invisible reality beyond the physical world that is accessible through shamanic journeying. In Celtic shamanism, this unseen reality is known as the “Other World.” In the Australian aboriginal tradition, the unseen world is known as the “Dreamtime.” Many shamanic traditions believe that unseen reality is divided into three separate worlds: the Lower World, the Upper World, and the Middle World. Each world has distinct qualities, including particular gateways or entryways and a recognizable landscape. In this introduction, I would like to present each of these three worlds, including their distinct gateways and differences in landscape.

The Lower World is sometimes known by the term “Underworld,” although for some people that term can have a negative connotation. The landscape in the Lower World tends to be earthy, filled with mountains, deserts, dense jungles, and forests. When I teach journeying, I recommend that people begin by journeying to the Lower World.

To journey to the Lower World, you begin by visualizing a location in nature that you have visited in ordinary reality and have a clear memory of, and you use that spot to travel down into the earth. Traditional ways of entering the Lower World include climbing down the roots of a tree, traveling down the center of a volcano, through a hole in the ground, into an entrance of a cave, or through a body of water, such as a lake, stream, river, or waterfall. Any way that you can see yourself in a specific location in nature using a natural opening to travel into the earth is fine. If you do not have a clear picture of a natural opening, you can see yourself traveling down into the earth on an elevator or in a subway if that is easier for you.

People often experience a transitional phase once they have entered their opening that appears as a tunnel leading them into the Lower World. A literary example of that transition can be found in the story of Alice in Wonderland, where Alice descends into another realm through a magical tunnel. Eventually, you come out into the light, and the landscape of your surroundings becomes clear. This is the Lower World.

In contrast, many people experience the Upper World as very ethereal. The light tends to be bright, although the spectrum of colors can include everything from soft pastels to complete darkness. The landscapes in the Upper World can be quite varied, and you might find yourself in a crystal city or simply in the clouds. When you are in the Upper World, it is common to feel as if you are standing on something, although you can no longer feel the earth beneath your feet.

To journey to the Upper World, you want to begin by seeing yourself at a particular location in nature that will help you travel upward. Some shamans use the Tree of Life, climbing up the branches into the Upper World. Other traditional ways of traveling into the Upper World are climbing up a rope or ladder, jumping from the top of a mountain, rising up on a tornado or a whirlwind, climbing over a rainbow, going up the smoke of a fire or through a chimney, or finding a bird to take you. Today, some people travel to the Upper World on a hot-air balloon, others just float up to it, and others ask their power animal or guardian spirit to carry them up. Any way you can get to the Upper World is fine.

There will be a transition you pass through that will indicate you have entered the Upper World. For some people it is a cloud layer or a layer of fog. This will be a transition, not a barrier, like in the story of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” where he climbs up the beanstalk and has to go through a cloud layer before entering a new world. Similarly, in The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy travels to another world on a tornado, which is a common experience in shamanism. In fact, there are many children’s stories that speak of traveling to non-ordinary reality that are consistent with actual practices in traditional shamanism.

When you have passed through this transition, you will arrive at the first level of the Upper World. If you are still seeing planets and stars as you journey upward, you have not yet reached the Upper World. Again, you will know that you are in the Upper World because of the sensation of having passed through a permeable threshold of some kind, after which the landscape will change.

Although many shamanic traditions view the Lower and Upper Worlds as containing a definite number of levels, many of us have found that there is an unlimited number of levels, because the universe itself is unlimited. Each level will have something special to teach you, and it is up to you to explore them.

The Middle World is the spiritual dimension of our physical world. Middle World journeying is a method for communicating with the spirits that live in all things present in physical reality. Shamans classically journey to the Middle World to find lost and stolen objects, to commune with nature, or to do long-distance healing work. Another great journey to take in the Middle World is a journey to the moon to ask about the moon’s different cycles and phases and how they affect your feelings and behavior. In this way, you can learn how to make changes in your life that are in alignment with your natural cycles, giving you an increased sense of well-being. You can also speak to the sun, the stars, and the elements in nature, each of which has much to teach us about how to restore balance in our lives.

When you journey in the Middle World, you are in present time, traveling through our physical landscape. Simply see yourself walking out your front door and stepping into your garden, or traveling through space very quickly to look for something you have lost or to reach a more distant destination. You might take a Middle World journey to meet with the plants, trees, and rocks where you live, to learn more about them and come into balance with them. George Washington Carver was a very respected botanist who said he gained knowledge about cultivating plants from walking through the forest and talking to them. Shamans have always talked to the animals and the plants within and outside their journeys to learn about nature, cycles, rhythms, and the environment in which they live. However, do not rely exclusively on your journeys in the Middle World to connect with nature. You also want to spend time outdoors communing with nature, and hopefully your journeys will inspire you to do so.

The Middle World can be a little complicated to work with, as there are many different types of spirits who live there. Some of the spirits who live there are deceased souls who have suffered traumatic deaths and have not successfully crossed over to the other side. Some of these spirits may not even know that they are dead. To assist them, you would need to receive further training than what this program can provide. In fact, there is a whole area of shamanic training called psychopomp work, which includes methods for helping souls complete their crossing-over process. However, it is fine to journey to speak to the spirit of a tree, a plant, a river, or the wind, or to meet the fairies, devas, and elves that live in the Middle World.

During your journeys, you can choose to travel to the Lower World, the Upper World, or the Middle World. You can choose to engage in conversation with the spirits that you encounter, or you can simply move on. It is important to understand as you undertake shamanic journeying that you have complete control of where you go and whom you talk to. Part of the exploration and wonder of nonordinary reality is to discover the qualities that go with the different territories—including a variety of landscapes—and what spirits live there. Our helping spirits have the ability to travel between the worlds and can accompany us on our journeys for transportation and support, regardless of where we journey.

Finally, there are no set rules about what people should experience when they journey to each world, although I will describe some common experiences to help you understand the differences between the worlds. However, it is vital that you trust your own experience — rather than trying to replicate someone else’s — and that you remember that each person’s experience is equally valid.